NFL Trade Rumors: Could Chicago Bears Deal Alshon Jeffery & Matt Forte to the Dallas Cowboys?
The Chicago Bears are winless, and the light at the end of the tunnel appears to be a train heading in the opposite direction. The Bears may very well be the worst team in the NFL this season, and their managerial team knows this.
There's no doubt about it, the Bears are rebuilding, which is a wise idea. The team traded away Brandon Marshall this offseason, and this week Jared Allen was dealt to the Carolina Panthers. The Bears are clearing up salary cap space to build for the future. Unfortunately for Bears fans, it doesn't look like their team can deal away Jay Cutler because of his enormous contract.
However, the Bears do have two other powerful offensive weapons who could be on the trade block.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the Bears will try to trade running back Matt Forte before the trade deadline. Forte is a great running back, but the Bears obviously aren't benefiting from having him on the roster at all. It's also important to note that Forte is in the final year of his contract. This season Forte is scheduled to make $7 million in base salary, and then after this year, he will be an unrestricted free agent. The Bears would be clever to deal Forte now and get value before he leaves as a free agent.
Enter the Dallas Cowboys.
According to numerous league reports, the Cowboys (and Tampa Bay Buccaneers) have shown "interest" in acquiring Forte. That's not a huge surprise at all considering they no longer have DeMarco Murray, who led the entire league in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns last season.
Joseph Randle has done a pretty good job, but he's no Forte. With Tony Romo out at least for the next month, they will be leaning on their ground game like never before.
Forte has eclipsed the 1,000 yard rushing mark in five of his seven seasons in the league. The only two seasons Forte failed to reach 1,000 yards he ran for 997 in 2011 and 929 in 2009. The Denver Broncos have been interested in adding a running back as well, but have reportedly "backed out" of making a trade for Forte.
Forte isn't the only current Bears player who could be traded before the deadline. Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has been in trade rumors as well, which, again, isn't surprising. Jeffery, like Forte, is also in the final year of his contract. Jeffery will make $960,000 in base salary this season, and then he will become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Jeffery is coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard receiving yard seasons, and he is only 25 years old. You can bet he is going to get a big pay day from a team this upcoming offseason.
Jeffery is currently dealing with a hamstring injury, but, as we all know, Dez Bryant is out with a broken foot. Some insiders even believe Bryant may miss the entire season, rather of the expected two months off.
It wouldn't be shocking at all if the Cowboys make a move for Jeffery considering he's owed less than $1 million this year. Cole Beasley and Jason Witten create reliable inside routes, but Terrance Williams hasn't been able to provide that deep threat without Bryant by his side.
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m. EDT.
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